Hot fudge sauces are usually made with melted chocolate, but it’s easy to make it with cocoa—and considerably less expensive. The key is good quality cocoa but that’s also true if you are using melted chocolate. Your sauce will be no better than your chocolate or cocoa.
This fudge sauce is best paired with a tin roof sundae, as seen below, and a peanut butter sauce (recipe included below).
What is the best cocoa?
There is an amazing difference in cocoa. When we get a new cocoa in, we make brownies and hot cocoa with it and then compare them side by side with other cocoas. Most cocoas are very plain.
The quality of the cocoa makes all the difference. It carries the recipe whether in this sauce or your favorite brownies.
See this buyer’s guide to cocoa.
Michele on 15/05/2014
★★★★★
I, like many others were skeptical…how much of a difference could this cocoa powder really make? WOW, I’m a believer and I will NEVER purchase cocoa from the grocery store ever again! (I even threw out National Brand X already….my family and friends deserve this INCREDIBLE chocolate!)
Sharon Meeuwsen on 15/05/2014
★★★★★
This stuff is AMAZING…cannot live without it! Gives baked goods a big punch of chocolate, no comparison to the stuff in the can. If you like truly dark, dense chocolate flavor, replace your usual cocoa with this in all recipes…it’s exceptional!
Shop for Ramstadt Breda Cocoa in dark or medium
Hot Fudge Sauce Made with Cocoa
If you are using good cocoa—and yes, there is quite a difference in cocoas—this is excellent. It’s easy. Be sure to mix the cocoa and granulated sugar together before cooking to eliminate any lumps and make a smooth sauce.
Quality cocoa is critical to this recipe. We used Ramstadt Breda Rich Dark Cocoa with three times the cocoa butter of most store brands. See the review of this cocoa below.
We made this both with 2/3 cup and 3/4 cup cocoa. Both work. Of course you get a little deeper flavor with 3/4 cup cocoa. As with other hot fudge sauces, this thickens as it cools. You can rewarm it in the microwave. You can also thin your sauce with additional cream.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Ramstadt Breda Rich Dark Cocoa or equal
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Mix the cocoa and sugar together in a small bowl. Melt the butter in the microwave.
- Add the cocoa and sugar mixture to a small saucepan. Add the melted butter and cream. Heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until the ganache starts to bubble. Remove from the heat.
- Let the ganache cool until it reaches the desired consistency. Thin with additional cream if necessary.
The Tin Roof Sundae
We started off to make a tin roof sundae. The typical tin roof sundae includes a fudge sauce, peanuts, and chocolate. With this one, we added a very scrumptious peanut butter sauce (recipe below). It tasted even better than it looks.
What You Need for the Tin Roof Sundae
- Vanilla ice cream
- Hot Fudge Sauce
- Peanut Butter Sauce
- Whipped cream
- Snack-type peanuts, coarsely chopped
- Maraschino cherries
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping Recipe
We used the 100% peanut butter, the refrigerated kind that you stir when you get home—to make this sauce. It is scrumptious.
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup corn syrup
- 2/3 cup 100% refrigerator-type peanut butter
Directions
- Combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat.
- Add the peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Thin with more condensed milk if necessary.
- Serve warm or cold over ice cream.
(Updated from July 3, 2014)
